The TransAm, 3 decades of decline?

So I was considering Pontiac's decline yesterday. Arguably one of their best eras was the rest of the car world's worst. The mid '70s was a good time for Pontiac and the TransAm. Pontiac sold more Firebirds during the mid '70s than at any other time in the model's 35 year history. No mention of '70s T/As is complete without the requisite mention of Smokey and the Bandit, it is hard to tell quite how much of an effect this had on Trans Am sales but it seems that the film was as much a reflection of '70s American car culture, probably best exemplified by the "Screaming Chicken" Trans Am. Looking through the pictures I've collected below I think it's pretty clear that Pontiac really lost their way in the '90s. Before then, each successive generation of Firebird had a distinct visual style externally and internally that set it apart from the previous generation, while still maintaining a firm visual link with past generations. The '90s Trans Am seems to be the most evolutionary compared to other models, and the interior styling is anesthetized to the point that you could be in any Pontiac made at the time. And why is it so puffy? This bulbousness of shape would carry over to the exterior which really seemed to be a caricature of it's own styling. While previous models had been subjected to various levels of arguably tasteless add-ons, they now became standard on even the most humble model. The car's over the top appearance was also somewhat out of sync with it's times as most other vehicles in the '90s featured a jellybean slimmed down streamlined shape, and the Firebird especially in TransAm trim was covered in cladding and tack-ons and absolutely lacked the clean lines of the three previous generations. It seems that instead of people losing interest in the Trans Am, the General had lost touch with creating a car that captivated the people's imagination.